Chapter 34

HAVEN

I pulled out a silver blade and began slicing into Raja’s dark skin. She screamed in agony, but there was no escape from me.

I made three clean cuts on her thighs. They’d take time to heal, and if she didn’t start talking, I’d pour holy water into them.

She wouldn’t recover from a wound caused by holy water. It acted like acid on human flesh.

“Start talking,” I demanded, waving the flask of water.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she shot back.

“You know I would,” I sighed, feeling worn out.

“Why?” she questioned. “She’s just a human plaything. You could have a hundred like her.”

“No, because Grace is my soulmate,” I replied, my voice icy. “That’s not just any mark on her neck. It’s proof that she’s my woman, and you two attacked her. To say I’m angry is an understatement, and you and your sire will regret this forever.”

“I didn’t know,” she wailed. “Sire didn’t tell me.”

“He couldn’t because he didn’t know. But that doesn’t change the fact that you kidnapped what was mine and dared to touch her with your filthy hands! ~Tell me where he is!~”

“He’s... He’s...” She began to sob, but I had no patience for her. “Please... Don’t make me say it. Have mercy, my lord.”

“Did you stop hurting Grace when she cried? Did you help her when she was suffering under Silas’s fangs?” I glared at her.

She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. Just as I thought. No one helped her when Silas nearly killed her. I wasn’t going to help Raja either.

I grabbed the bottle of holy water and began pouring it on the cuts I’d made with the silver blade. She screamed in agony, as if I was flaying her alive. I didn’t care. She could scream all she wanted. She was already dead to me.

“He’s...at the hotel downtown. He’ll be gone by tomorrow though.”

As soon as the words left her lips, she turned to ashes from the inside out. That’s what happened to vampires who defied their sire’s orders.

I glanced at my phone. The sun would rise soon. There was no point in going after Silas now. I was so furious that I shattered the coffin with my bare hands and burned my skin on the chains. Damn it.

“I guess we’re going after him first thing tonight?” Phoenix asked.

“Yes,” I confirmed, my teeth gritted. “You can stay here for the day. I’ll be with Grace.”

“Sure, Sire.”

He headed back upstairs, and I followed him. I returned to my room and found my girl sleeping peacefully. I kissed her forehead before heading to the bathroom.

I took a long shower to wash off Raja’s blood, and tried to cleanse myself of my rage. It didn’t work, of course.

I wanted to snap my brother’s neck, tear his head off, and feed it to the sharks. How dare he touch my Grace?

I stepped out of the shower before I broke anything and walked back to the bed. She looked so peaceful, but I could see the bandage around her neck. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before sliding under the covers.

I was careful not to disturb her IVs or touch anything that could hurt her. I kissed her head and allowed myself to relax. She was alive, so everything would be okay.

“Please, love. Please don’t hate me,” I whispered before closing my eyes and resting my head in her neck, listening to her steady heartbeat.

***

I woke up to the sensation of water on my forehead. I opened my eyes quickly and scanned the room. We were alone and safe. I looked at Grace, and she was crying in her sleep. Shit.

I kissed her cheek, trying to pour all my feelings into it. I didn’t want her to suffer like this.

“Grace, sweetheart, you’re okay. I’ve got you,” I said softly.

“Haven,” she moaned in her sleep.

I decided to try to reach into her dreams because it didn’t seem like she would wake up anytime soon. I closed my eyes and entered her dream like I had done many times before.

She was in the storehouse, and Silas had his hands around her neck. She was struggling to break free, crying and screaming for him to let go. I pushed my brother out of the dream and caught Grace in my arms, holding her tightly to my chest.

“You’re safe, Grace,” I assured her. “You’re home with me. This is just a nightmare.”

“Haven,” she sobbed, clutching my shirt tightly in her hands. “I’m sorry... I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize, honey. None of this is your fault.”

“He bit me. You’ll never want me again,” she wept in my arms.

“It’s not your fault. Of course I’ll want you forever. I love you, Grace. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Haven. Please don’t hate me.”

“Never. I could never hate you.”

I rocked her in my arms until she calmed down, and I gently kissed her head.

“Come back to me, baby. I’m a mess without you,” I pleaded with her.

“You won’t leave me?” she asked, her eyes filled with tears.

“I could never leave you,” I replied, looking back at her.

“You’re crying...”

It wasn’t a pretty sight for a vampire to cry since we cried tears of blood. But I couldn’t help it. I wanted her so badly to come back to me. My heart ached without her. I felt like there was a hole in my chest.

“I was so scared to lose you,” I whispered.

She reached out, her hand finding my cheek, and I leaned into her touch. Fear was a new sensation for me, but Silas was a threat unlike any I’d faced before. More dangerous than college parties or humans in general.

He could have taken her from me, and I would have been too late. Forced to endure centuries of waiting for her again, my chest aching with the void she’d left behind. That was the worst punishment my brother could inflict on me.

She brushed away my tears and drew me into a kiss. Dream kisses were nothing like the real thing, but I was so starved for her lips, I didn’t care.

“Come home to me,” I pleaded, my words muffled against her mouth.

“I don’t know how,” she admitted.

“I’ll wait for you. Even if it takes an eternity.”

“Haven,” she cried.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. I love your smile,” I said, wiping away her tears.

“Silly.” She managed a chuckle through her tears.

“Good girl,” I whispered. “I have to go, but I’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll do my best to get back to you soon,” she promised, determination in her voice.

“That’s all I ask.”

I extended my pinky to her, and she linked hers with mine, just like she used to when she was a little girl. That’s how I knew she’d keep her promise.

I pressed a final kiss to her forehead before returning to my body. Grace’s tears had stopped, so we were okay.

I glanced out the window, noting the sky turning a deep red. Night was approaching, and with it, the time to deal with my brother. I was looking forward to putting him in a coffin for a hundred years.

Phoenix knocked on the door, and I rose from the bed. I dressed in casual clothes, kissed my girl, and opened the door.

Phoenix’s gaze landed on Grace, and I saw a flicker of sadness. Normally, that would have irritated me, but right now, my heart felt like it had been torn in two.

“She’s a good girl. She doesn’t deserve this.”

“I know, Phoenix.” I sighed. “We’re going to make sure she never has to go through this again.”

“Should we call Oliver to watch over her while we’re gone?”

“Good idea.” I nodded.

I called my third, and he agreed to come as soon as the sun set. We’d be gone by then, but Oliver, like Phoenix, knew his way around here. He was one of the few I trusted in my home.

“Sire.”

“Yes?”

“Will you be able to control yourself, or do you want me to get him?”

“You’re strong, Phoenix, but not that strong. I’m the only one who can subdue my brother. Just stay out of the way.”

“Of course, Sire.” He grinned. “I’ve never seen a fight between the children of Judas. I can’t wait.”

“It’s not something we do often.” I chuckled. “It could be disastrous for humans.”

It was actually quite forbidden, but sometimes it couldn’t be avoided. My brother would soon learn that he’d crossed a line. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for my Grace. Absolutely nothing.